A recent Washington Times article looked at the costs of divorce. An average divorce costs $2,500, but the other costs are the ones that really end up hurting the government and families. Government support for single-parent families can cost up to $30,000 a year, according to the article. Other statistics show that children who grow up without a father are more likely to live in poverty, drop out of school or commit a crime than their peers who grow up with a father.

Divorce is particularly costly in the United States, as our divorce rate is triple the level in England or France, for example. The director of the University of Virginia’s National Marriage Project points out that, after just five years of marriage, nearly a fourth of American couples divorce. That rate is at 8 percent in England and France and 10 percent in Canada.

While the costs associated with divorce may be undeniable, the government’s role in reducing divorce is more debatable. Couples themselves are usually in the best position to decide what is best for them and their family. Legislators like a New Mexican State Senator who are proposing reflection periods and mandated marriage education in their home state before permitting a divorce may not be effective. We welcome your thoughts below on whether the government can have any role in trying to slow down the tide of couples seeking a divorce.